~ Shards of Sapphire ~
"What do you want for Valentine's Day?" Damon asked casually over breakfast, on the morning of February 13th.
Rose took a sip from her glass of blood and contemplated for a few long moments before answering.
"If I had a boyfriend, I'd want him to bring me flowers and take me somewhere nice."
After a slight pause, Damon replied, "Well, you don't have a boyfriend. You've got me."
A strained silence stretched between them as they both drank their morning glass of blood and refused to admit to each other that they wished for their relationship to become something more than friends with benefits.
When both glasses sat empty, other than a few clinging drops at the bottom, Damon broke the awkward silence with an even more awkward question.
"So... do you want me to get you something, or what?"
"You don't need to."
"But do you want me to?"
Rose sighed and said, "I don't care. Just do whatever you feel like."
Then she pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, effectively ending the conversation as she carried the glasses to the sink.
The next day, Damon brought Rose one single flower (it was a dandelion, not anything considered particularly romantic). They went out to dinner at the Mystic Grill, which was a mediocre place at best, and could hardly be considered a date since Damon ended up spending more time and money on getting drunk with his friend Alaric than anything.
And so the question of what are we? remained unasked and unanswered, as it would continue to do until one of them found the courage to state their desires clearly.
~oOo~